Just three letters; Why? Why so much pain? Why so much wickedness? Why do people suffer.. Why, Why, Why..

Have you ever wrestled with this question? Perhaps you've lost a loved one, or maybe you know of some innocent person who has suffered terribly. And just wondered.. Why?

Let's open God's word and prayerfully study this important question.

Firstly what brought suffering and pain? Yes, it is the result of sin. (see Genesis 3:14-19) But perhaps you wonder, why did God allow sin to continue? Couldn't He have stopped it at once and destroyed the sinners?

Before we fully answer this question, let's understand the following principle.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." - 1 John 4:8

God is love. So what God does, must be done in love. If God does something that isn't done in love, then we could no longer say that God is love. Love is then revealed in all of God's acts, because "God is Love".

God created the universe out of love. This earth, mankind and all creation are testimonies to the love of God.

Now, a little more than a year ago, the Lord blessed my older sister with a little baby girl. A gorgeous little child!

What do you think makes that mother and father happy? Is it when they see their little one upset? Or when their little child is happy? You see, what brings joy to parents is to see their children happy.

With God it's no different. What gladdens the heart of God the most is to see His children (you and I) happy. It is His desire to "present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" - Jude 1:24

On the other hand, it pains God to see His children suffer. The Bible says:

"In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old." - Isaiah 63:7

So then why is there suffering? Why does a God that delights in happiness allow such suffering to exist?

What we must understand is that force is against the principle of love. God does not force anyone. That would be against God's love, because real love is a choice. You can create a robot and program it to repeatedly say "I love you", "I love you", "I love you" all day long and yet these are only empty words. True love comes from someone who loves out of free choice.

This is why mankind and the angels were created with freedom of choice.

The mystery of iniquity is deep, just how the seed of evil began is beyond our full understanding. Nevertheless rebellion began in heaven. Why didn't God just strike out the rebels? Why did He allow sin to go on?

It's beyond the scope of this gem to fully dig into the fall of Satan. However, from Jude 1:9, Zechariah 3:1, Job 1:6-12, Revelation 12:4 (linked with Isaiah 9:15) and Revelation 12:10 we learn that Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” and that he disputes the authority of Christ.

Well now, just think about the situation. To instantly destroy those angels who were rebelling against God would only cause the rest of the heavenly host to serve Him out of fear. After all Satan might be right in his rebellion against the authority of Christ. So to destroy the rebels would break heaven's perfect atmosphere of love and result in a host of fearful, unhappy angelic beings.

So God in His infinite wisdom chose the only way to restore the universe back to perfect harmony which was in sending His Son Jesus to redeem mankind and to allow sin to run its course until all could see without a shadow of doubt that God is love, and that to turn against God only brings suffering and unhappiness.

So God has allowed evil to continue. It has caused Him great grief and cost the life of His dear son.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation (or atonement) for our sins." - 1 John 4:10

There is coming a time, very soon, when God in His great love will say enough! Sin will have run its full course and all will have seen its terrible results. Sin and sinners will be no more (See Revelation chapters 20 & 21), and peace and love will once again rule in the universe.

In summary:

1. God is Love
2. God rejoices when His children are happy, and is afflicted with their afflictions
3. Only by free-choice is true love possible
4. Sin wasn't destroyed because this would cause God's creatures to serve Him from fear
5. When sin has run its full course, and God's people are ready, Sin will be finally destroyed.

Let's close with this beautiful statement, describing that day when sin will be no more.

"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all flow life and light and gladness throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love." - Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 673-678